#1735 Timo Weiland’s Indian adventure

“Gloria Vanderbilt and Keith Richards go on a fictional trip to India during the colonial years,” cited Timo Weiland as the inspiration behind his Fall 2011 collection shown at the Lincoln Center this afternoon. And what a disparate pair they turned out to be.1960s Keith Richards was apparent from the get-go, in skinny trousers paired with turtle neck sweaters or a trench coat with matching pants and desert boots. The Rolling Stone’s subversive take on tailoring came through in a pair of glen-plaid longs that were cut off at the hem – perhaps the aftermath of a little too much sub-continental experimentation.

Those glen-plaid pants made it into the women’s too, with a tuxedo stripe taken from the hide of a Himilayan animal (it brought to mind a black and white gazelle). All other similarities ended there. Where the men’s was cheeky, the women’s was polished and extravagant, much like Vanderbilt herself (you don’t become a pre-internet style icon wearing blue jeans alone).

Colonial India came through in a vibrantly coloured grandiose silk gown, bearing a print inspired by a snow-covered desert landscape. It wouldn’t have looked out of place at a monsoon wedding. Elsewhere, pretty young things kept their hands warm with purple fur mufflers.

“Ms Vanderbilt and I have mutual friends who told me all about her,” said Weiland. “She’s in her 90s now. I find her so inspiring.” As for Richards, “He’s just so kooky and crazy.” ‘Nuff said.

p.s. Australian model watchers might recognise a couple of their girls below: Emily Wake and Top Model alumni Alice Burdeu and Amanda Ware.